RE: the Towers.

As the ringbearers made their way to the Grey Havens at the end of ROTK they past 2 or 3 Towers. We are never told what they are. Clearly they are of greater meaning and were of some import in an earlier age. Any ideas?

[The Might]

the explanation is easy
the name "Towers" as used in the book is the name for that region, The Tower Hills. The name of the region came from three ancient Elf-towers built in the area. The tallest of them, Elostirion, held one of the palantiri, which could be used to look westward across the Sea.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I belive the elves build or just gave the towers to Elendil

Thank you for the reply(s). They were in fact built by Elendil. With a little research I answered my own question. The three towers were built by Elendil. Called the Emyn Beraid or Tower Hills, they were built to house the Elendil stone. It's amazing to think that Lindon was so close to the Shire.
The little asides in LOTR are one of my favorite parts of the books: the towers, Gandalfs discussion of the Noldor and Feanor while he was carrying Pippin to Minas Tirith and Elrond discussing the Host of Beleriand during the Council come to mind. Before the Silmarillion was published these side discussions of the older history were highly intriguing. And of course, in the appendices at the end of ROTK
Tolkien states: as is told in the Silmarillion. The what? I COULD HARDLY WAIT.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

hmm I am quite sure the Elves build them and after reading this I checked with my Tolkien companion and The Encyclopedia of Arda and both of them say that they were build by Elves.

I know this is not proof like if I had searched the books, but these sourses are seldom wrong.

[The Might]

I wonder what the Hobbits did with the towers once they received them...maybe they took a peek into the West...

[ninja91]

As far as I know they had passed through the Tower Hills to reach the Grey Havens, so they were the White Towers, which had been built by Elendil.

[The Might]

nope, I looked it up
they were built by Gil-Galad for Elendil
they were guarded by Cirdan and the Elves of the Grey Havens, and when the White Ship departed, Cirdan placed the palantir on the ship.
So the hobbits couldn't have looked into the west when they received this land...
interesting is Frodo had a dream of Elostirion at Crickhollow:

Then he heard a noise in the distance. At first he thought it was a great wind coming over the leaves of the forest. Then he knew that it was not leaves, but the sound of the Sea far-off; a sound he had never heard in waking life, though it had often troubled his dreams. Suddenly he found he was out in the open. There were no trees after all. He was on a dark heath, and there was a strange salt smell in the air. Looking up he saw before him a tall white tower, standing alone on a high ridge. A great desire came over him to climb the tower and see the Sea. He started to struggle up the ridge towards the tower: but suddenly a light came in the sky, and there was a noise of thunder.

TheMight is correct from what I have read. The elves built the Towers while Gil-galad was the 6th and final High King of the Noldor. The enc. of Arda states that they were built by Gil-galad for Elendil. I took that to mean they were built by the elves during his reign. The Emyn Beraid is the elven name for the Tower Hills on which the Towers stood. Thanks again.

[Mänwe]

I believe the quote that Rune and The Might are referring to is the following from the Silmarillion;

“It is said that the towers of Emyn Beraid were not built indeed by the Exiles of Númenor, but were raised by Gil-galad for Elendil, his friend; and the Seeing Stone of Emyn Beraid was set in Elostirion, the tallest of the towers.” – (Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, Silmarillion)

“towers of” therefore includes all those on the Emyn Beraid, however there is a quote earlier that states;

“Elendil was cast up by the waves in the land of Lindon, and he was befriended by Gil-galad. Thence he passed up the River Lhûn, and beyond Ered Luin he established his realm, and his people dwelt in many places in Eriador about the courses of the Lhûn and the Baranduin; but his chief city was at Annúminas beside the water of Lake Nenuial. At Fornost upon the North Downs also the Númenóreans dwelt, and in Cardolan, and in the hills of Rhudaur; and towers they raised upon Emyn Beraid and upon Amon Sûl;” - (Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, Silmarillion)

So could the later quote be referring to elf built towers, different from those raised by Elendil’s people or as I highlighted, “towers of Emyn Beraid” means all those on and around the Tower Hills?

The dream that The Might has quoted was a much ‘pruned’ version of three drafts written by Tolkien, where Gandalf is imprisoned in Elostirion. In ‘The Treason of Isengard’ HoME Vol VII in ‘Chapter V: 'A Conspiracy Unmasked’ (with 'The Dream of the Tower'). However we know that the truth of Gandalf’s delay is because of his imprisonment in Orthanc, which Frodo also dreams about.

[Sardy]

If I recall correctly, weren't the towers also mentioned near the beginning of Fellowship? In fact, I believe that they may have been within sight of the Shire (able to be seen from the top of the Hill?). Again, I definitely need to go back and look, but I do seem to recall that the Hobbits regarded them with a certain degree of trepidation, as if, perhaps, they were haunted...?

[The Might]

I got the quote you mentioned.
They are indeed mentioned in the beginning of LOTR:

For the Elves of the High Kindred had not yet forsaken Middle-earth, and they dwelt still at that time at the Grey Havens away to the west, and in other places within reach of the Shire. Three Elf-towers of immemorial age were still to be seen on the Tower Hills beyond the western marches. They shone far off in the moonlight. The tallest was furthest away, standing alone upon a green mound. The Hobbits of the Westfarthing said that one could see the Sea from the lop of that tower; but no Hobbit had ever been known to climb it. Indeed, few Hobbits had ever seen or sailed upon the Sea, and fewer still had ever returned to report it. Most Hobbits regarded even rivers and small boats with deep misgivings, and not many of them could swim. And as the days of the Shire lengthened they spoke less and less with the Elves, and grew afraid of them, and distrustful of those that had dealings with them; and the Sea became a word of fear among them, and a token of death, and they turned their faces away from the hills in the west.